NetScout Systems (NTCT) 10-K2024 FY Annual report

This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements under Section 21E of the Exchange Act (as defined below) and other federal securities laws. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and are identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "expects," "plans," "intends," "seeks," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "potential" or "continue," or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual events or results may differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make.

Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements after completion of the filing of this Annual Report to reflect later events or circumstances or the occurrence of unanticipated events.

We sell our products, support and services through a direct sales force and an indirect reseller and distribution channel.

Our direct sales force generally uses a "high-touch" sales model that consists of face-to-face or virtual meetings with customers to understand and identify their unique business challenges and requirements. Our sales teams translate our customers' requirements into tailored business solutions that allow the customer to maximize the performance of its infrastructure and service delivery environment. Due to the complexity of the systems and the capital expenditures involved, our sales cycles typically take between three and twelve months. We build strategic relationships with our customers by continually enhancing our solution to help them address their evolving service delivery management challenges. In addition to providing a comprehensive solution to meet these needs, we continually provide software enhancements to our customers as part of their maintenance contracts with us. These enhancements are designed to provide additional and ongoing value to our existing customers to promote loyalty and the expansion of their deployment of our products. Existing customer growth is also driven by the expansion and changes in their networks as they add new infrastructure elements, new users, new locations, new applications, experience increasing service traffic volumes or encounter incremental cyber threats.

We also maintain an indirect reseller and distribution channel. Sales to customers outside the United States are primarily export sales through channel partners. Our channel partners assist us by improving our reach to customers, extending our presence in new markets, and marketing and selling our products to a broad array of organizations globally. We sell through a range of channel partners including value-added resellers, value-added distributors, resellers, and system integrators, to our enterprise, service provider and government customers. Historically and currently, we have used indirect distribution channels principally as intermediaries on contractual terms for customers with whom we do not have a contract. Our sales force meets with end user customers to present our products and solutions, conduct demonstrations, provide evaluation equipment, recommend detailed product solutions, develop product deployment designs and timelines, and assist in establishing financial and other justifications for the proposed solution. During this selling process, a channel partner, who has contracts with both the end customer and us, may be brought in to facilitate the transaction and to provide fulfillment services. In the case of international channel partners, those services usually also include currency translation and support. In the U.S., fulfillment services are usually limited to invoicing and cash collection. Under this approach, we have limited dependence upon channel partners for the major elements of the selling process. In many cases, there are multiple channel partners with the required contractual relationships, so dependence on any single channel partner is not significant.

Our marketing organization drives our market research, strategy, product positioning and messaging, and produces and manages a variety of programs such as customer forums, trade shows, industry events, advertising, public and analyst relations, social media, direct mail, seminars and webinars, sales promotions and other online marketing programs. These programs are focused on promoting the sale and acceptance of our solutions to further build the NetScout brand for our service assurance and cybersecurity products within the marketplace.

Key elements of our marketing strategy focus on thought leadership, market positioning, market education, go to market strategies, reputation management, demand generation, and the acceleration of our strategic selling relationships with local and global resellers, systems integrators, and our technology alliance partners. During fiscal year 2024, we continued to invest in the promotion of the NetScout brand related to service assurance and cybersecurity products in their respective markets. We expect to continue these initiatives during fiscal year 2025.

Our continued success depends significantly on our ability to anticipate and create solutions that will meet emerging customer requirements. We work closely with our largest enterprise and service provider customers to better understand and address their near-term and longer-term requirements. By better understanding the key, time-sensitive needs of our global customer base, we believe our development programs will continue to result in enhanced products that are able to meet the increasing challenges of an increasingly complex and dynamic global network environment.

We have invested significant financial resources and personnel into the development of our products and technology. Our continued investment in research and development is crucial to our business and our continued success in the market. We have assembled a team of highly skilled engineers with expertise in various technologies associated with our business and the technologies being deployed by our customers. We plan to continue to enhance and expand our product offerings and capabilities in the near future while integrating key capabilities from acquired product lines as appropriate. As a result, we plan to continue to invest and dedicate significant resources to our research and development activities for both our enterprise and service provider customers.

We predominantly develop our products internally, with some limited third-party contracting. We have also acquired developed technology through business acquisitions. To promote industry standards and manifest technology leadership, we participate in and support the activities and recommendations of industry standards bodies, and we also engage in close and regular dialogue with our key customers and alliance partners. These activities provide early insight into the direction of network and application performance requirements and the changing cybersecurity landscape that impacts current and emerging technologies.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, quarterly variations in our order bookings as a result of a number of factors, including the length of the sales cycle, complexity of customer environments, new product introductions and their market acceptance and seasonal factors affected by customer projects and typical IT buying cycles. Due to these factors, we historically have experienced stronger bookings during our fiscal third and fourth quarters than in our fiscal first and second quarters.

We sell our products to enterprises, service providers and local, state, and federal governmental agencies with large-and medium-sized high-speed IP computer networks. Our enterprise customers cover a wide variety of industries, such as financial services, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, education, transportation and retail as well as government and associated agencies. Our telecommunications service provider customer group includes mobile operators, wireline operators, cable operators, internet service providers, and cloud providers.

We produce our products on the basis of our forecast of near-term demand and maintain inventory in advance of receipt of firm orders from customers. We configure our products to customer specifications and generally deliver products shortly after receipt of the purchase order. Service engagements are also included in certain orders. Customers generally may

We compete with many companies in the markets we serve. The service assurance market, including the infrastructure, network, and application performance management markets, is highly competitive, rapidly evolving, and fragmented with overlapping technologies and a wide range of competitors, both large and small, who may deliver certain elements of our solution. Consequently, there are a number of companies who have greater name recognition and substantially greater financial, management, marketing, service, support, technical, distribution and other resources than we do. Additionally, certain competitors, either due to their size and resources or due to their technological strengths, may be able to respond more effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards and customer requirements.

Principal competitive factors in our service assurance market include scalability; ability to address a large number of applications, locations and users; product performance; the ability to easily deploy into existing network environments; the ability to offer virtualized solutions; and the ability to administer and manage the solution.

While we face multiple competitors within the service assurance industry, we believe that we compete favorably on the basis of the following factors:

In the enterprise market, our competitors include companies who provide network performance management, application performance management, infrastructure performance management and other related solutions such as CA Technologies (a Broadcom Inc. business), Cisco Systems, Dynatrace, Datadog, ExtraHop, IBM, Infovista, Viavi, Gigamon, New Relic, Riverbed Technology, Splunk (a Cisco Systems business) and SolarWinds. In addition, we both compete with and partner with large enterprise management vendors, such as HP and IBM, who offer performance management solutions. We also compete with smaller, privately held competitors who often focus on specific vertical markets.

In the service provider market, we compete with traditional probe vendors, network equipment manufacturers, big data and analytics vendors, and virtualization vendors. These vendors include Anritsu, Cisco, Ericsson, EXFO, Huawei, IBM, Infovista, Niksun, Elisa Polystar, Radcom, Splunk (a Cisco Systems business), Nokia and Viavi. We face additional competitive threats from startups and new entrants that seek to offer innovative solutions in an industry characterized by rapid technological change.

In the cybersecurity market, we face a range of competitors, including those that may have greater name recognition and substantially greater financial, management, marketing, service, support, technical, distribution and other resources than we do. We believe that the scalability of our solutions, flexible deployment, and price-performance of our cybersecurity solutions positions us well to compete against both larger network equipment and security companies and smaller niche security solutions vendors.

In the service provider DDoS solutions market, we compete under the NetScout Arbor brand with a broad range of vendors including Radware, Akamai, F5 Networks, A10 Networks, Fortinet, Fastly, Cloudflare and Corero Network Security. In the enterprise market for Network Detection and Response (NDR) solutions that utilize specialized threat analysis, traffic analysis, and packet forensics to detect and raise alerts of advanced network threats, we compete under the NetScout Omnis Cybersecurity brand with a range of vendors including Darktrace, Vectra Networks, Extrahop, Cisco, and other specialist providers.

Our ability to sustain a competitive advantage depends on our ability to deliver continued technology innovation and adapt to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Competitive factors in our industry are further described in Item 1A "Risk Factors."

We rely on patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws and contract rights to establish and maintain our rights in our technology and products. While our intellectual property rights are an important element in our success, our business does not depend on any one particular patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, license, or other intellectual property right.

We use contracts, statutory laws, domestic and foreign intellectual property registration processes, and international intellectual property treaties to protect our intellectual property portfolio and rights from infringement. From a contractual perspective, we use license agreements and non-disclosure agreements to control the use of our intellectual property and protect our trade secrets from unauthorized use and disclosure. In addition to license agreements, we rely on U.S. and international copyright law to protect against unauthorized copying of software programs in the U.S. and abroad. We have obtained U.S. and international trademark registrations to preserve and protect certain trademarks. We have also filed and obtained U.S. patents and international counterparts to protect certain unique NetScout inventions from being unlawfully exploited by other parties. However, there is no assurance that pending or future patent applications will be granted, that we will be able to obtain patents covering all our products, or that we will be able to license, if needed, patents from other companies on favorable terms or at all. Our proprietary rights are subject to other risks and uncertainties described under Item 1A "Risk Factors."

We strive to remain a team of entrepreneurs, with the agility of a start-up and the sophistication of a global technology company. We believe that our culture is critical to our success and growth. Our Lean But Not Mean culture complements and acts as a multiplier to our technology, exceptional talent, and forward-thinking innovation. "Lean" decision-making puts the tough calls up front and puts employees and the long-term success of the company first. We believe our commitment to our culture and values, diversity, equity and inclusion, talent development, and health and safety, and providing for competitive total rewards has motivated our employees around the world and keeps our spirit thriving, and everyone, regardless of role, brings value to the organization. Our Compensation Committee oversees our key human capital management strategies and programs and shares oversight of health and safety matters with the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors.

At March 31, 2024, we had 2,296 employees worldwide – over 99% of whom were full time employees. Our employees are in 35 countries with 63% of our employees located in the United States.

We believe that our company culture is critical to our success and growth. Our culture complements and acts as a multiplier to our technology, exceptional talent, and forward-thinking innovation. As a result of our philosophy, we have pledged to be considerate, loyal and appreciative of our employees while also enacting decision-making processes and business strategies that result in efficient business outcomes.

We dedicate heightened attention to our mission as Guardians of the Connected World and this mission serves as a key component in our employee engagement program. We continuously communicate our mission, values, and goals to all of our global employees through town hall meetings that provide direct interaction with the CEO, and in-depth focus groups that support messaging from top executives. These meetings allow leaders to stay connected with all employees and ensure everyone is equipped with the knowledge and tools to align their efforts with our vision, mission and goals. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees these efforts as part of its comprehensive review of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters and the Compensation Committee oversees NetScout’s human capital management as related to culture and values as well.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are important to our organizational excellence and complement our core values of performing with integrity, compassion, collaboration, and innovation. We embrace our employees' differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. We revised our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy and seek to enhance our employees' understanding of DEI through company-wide training. In addition, we have a designated DEI program team that includes members from multiple functional areas and whose activities are overseen by our executive ESG Steering Committee, to foster transparent and equitable processes in employee engagement, onboarding, learning and development, policymaking, and career planning.

A cornerstone of our DEI strategy is collaborating with industry, nonprofit and university partners to enhance our diversity and to help advance underrepresented populations into technology professions. We work with third-party recruiting organizations that specialize in diversity in hiring, and post our open position requisitions on diversity job boards. We also partner with universities with diverse student enrollment to recruit college hires and summer interns. We collaborate with several nonprofit organizations to provide technology education and internship opportunities in the tech field to members of underrepresented communities.

We invest in the ongoing development of its employees across the globe. As part of that program, we offer opportunities to identify leaders and develop and support all employees, including:

Our Health and Safety (H&S) Council is responsible for H&S policy, managing and coordinating H&S regulatory compliance, and tracking goals and results. The H&S Council reports to senior executives and its results are reported to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package to attract, retain and motivate our employees. Our compensation package includes market-competitive pay, cash and equity incentive compensation, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, retirement benefits, health benefits, paid time off and leave benefits.

We believe that effectively managing ESG matters is an important part of creating long-term value. As set out in its Charter, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees our ESG program. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee meets regularly and reviews and advises on ESG strategy and apprises the full Board of Directors, which also considers our overall ESG program and strategy as well as its alignment with our mission. The Audit Committee also regularly reviews ESG-related topics such as enterprise risk management, our anticorruption program, ethics and compliance issues, supply chain issues including human rights protections, and data privacy and security. The Compensation Committee regularly reviews ESG-related topics such as talent development and human capital management as well as compensation, DEI, and leadership training.

The ESG Steering Committee, under the strategic direction of the Chief Executive Officer and chaired by our General Counsel, who also serves as our Chief ESG Officer, provides guidance and management oversight for the ESG program. The Office of ESG, chaired by our General Counsel, acting in his role of Chief ESG Officer, is responsible for the development and implementation of the ESG program. With representation across key business functions, the mandate of the Office of ESG is to consider our existing ESG efforts, understand stakeholder perspectives (including customers, investors, and employees among others), identify areas for improvement that align with our business, and work collaboratively to support programs designed to accelerate ESG initiatives in a practical, cost-effective way.

Our global ESG program encompasses a broad range of areas, including sustainable operations, responsible management of our supply chain, human capital, ethical business practices, and data privacy and security. We continue to seek opportunities to align ESG with our core business strategy and more thoroughly integrate ESG into our operations.

We are also subject to global laws and regulations that govern or restrict our business and activities in certain countries and with certain persons, including the U.S. Commerce Department's Export Administration Regulations and economic and trade sanctions regulations maintained by OFAC, as well as anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and regulations, including the FCPA and the U.K. Bribery Act.

These laws are examples of the stringent and evolving regulatory frameworks related to our business activities that may increase our compliance obligations and exposure for any noncompliance. For more information on the potential impacts of government regulations affecting our business, see "Risk Factors" included under Part I, Item 1A.

Corporate Information

Our corporate headquarters are located at 310 Littleton Road, Westford, Massachusetts, and our telephone number is (978) 614-4000. We were incorporated in Delaware in 1984.

Our internet address is http://www.NetScout.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are made available free of charge on or through our website at ir.netscout.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. None of the information posted on our website is incorporated by reference into this Report.

We webcast our earnings calls and certain events we participate in or host with members of the investment community. They are made available on our investor relations website at ir.netscout.com//investors/events-and-presentations/events-calendar/default.aspx. Additionally, we provide notifications of news or announcements regarding our financial performance, including SEC filings, investor events, press and earnings releases, as part of our investor relations website. The contents of these sections of our investor relations website are not intended to be incorporated by reference into this report or in any other report or document we file with the SEC.

In addition to the other information in this report, the following factors should be considered carefully in evaluating NetScout and our business.

None.

NetScout has implemented and maintains information security processes designed to identify, assess, and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats to our critical computer networks, third party hosted services, communications systems, hardware and software, and our critical data, including intellectual property, confidential information, and the information of our customers and employees ("Information Systems and Data").

Our Cybersecurity Executive Council ("Council"), which is led by the Chief Information Officer ("CIO") and includes our Chief Information Security Officer ("CISO"), Chief Operating Officer ("COO"), General Counsel ("GC"), Chief Compliance Officer ("CCO"), SVP of Research & Development, Senior Director of Engineering, and AVP of Engineering, oversees NetScout's cybersecurity program, including strategy, threats, risks, and mitigations. The CISO and Senior Director of Engineering, with guidance from the Council, work to identify and assess risks from cybersecurity threats by monitoring and evaluating our threat environment and NetScout's risk profile using various methods such as implementing manual and automated tools, subscribing to services that identify cybersecurity threats, analyzing reports of certain threats and actors, conducting scans of the threat environment, evaluating our and our industry’s risk profile, conducting audits and threat assessments, conducting vulnerability assessments to identify vulnerabilities, and engaging in tabletop incident response exercises.

Depending on the environment, we implement and maintain various technical, physical, and organizational measures, processes, and policies designed to manage and mitigate material risks from cybersecurity threats to our Information Systems and Data, including, among other things: an incident response plan, vulnerability management, systems monitoring, disaster recovery and business continuity plans; risk assessments; encryption of certain data; network security controls for certain systems; data segregation and access controls for certain systems; physical security measures; asset management; employee training; certain testing; and IT and software development lifecycle training. NetScout also employs certain proprietary detection tools, enabling enhanced visibility and warning systems in response to certain cybersecurity threats.

We also use third-party service providers to assist us from time to time to identify, assess, and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats, including professional services firms, threat intelligence service providers, cybersecurity consultants, cybersecurity software providers and certain testing firms.

We use third-party service providers to perform a variety of other functions throughout our business, such as application providers, hosting companies, and supply chain resources (such as shipping). We have a vendor management program to manage cybersecurity risks associated with our use of these providers. Depending on the nature of the services provided, the sensitivity of the Information Systems and Data at issue, and the identity of the provider, our vendor management process may involve risk assessments, data privacy and security questionnaires, assessments, and imposition of cybersecurity-related contractual obligations on the vendor.

Our risk-based assessment and management of material risks from cybersecurity threats are integrated into NetScout’s overall risk management processes. Cybersecurity risks are addressed as a component of NetScout’s enterprise risk management program and our enterprise risk management processes include an Enterprise Risk Management Steering Committee ("Steering Committee"), led by the CCO and including members of management, that meets quarterly and considers ways to mitigate cybersecurity threats that are more likely to lead to a material impact to our business. The Steering Committee evaluates material risks from cybersecurity threats against our overall business objectives and provides a risk register report to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, which evaluates our overall enterprise risk.

Our Board of Directors addresses NetScout's cybersecurity risk management as part of its oversight function. The Board of Directors' Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing NetScout's cybersecurity risk management processes, including oversight of mitigation of risks from cybersecurity threats. Our Council, in turn, oversees management's cybersecurity efforts.

Our cybersecurity risk assessment and management processes are implemented and maintained by certain members of NetScout's management, including our CISO, who reports to the CIO and has over 25 years of experience, the CCO, and the Senior Director of Engineering for security.

The CISO and Senior Director of Engineering are each responsible for helping to integrate cybersecurity risk considerations into NetScout’s overall risk management strategy and communicating key priorities to relevant personnel. The CISO and Senior Director of Engineering are also responsible for helping prepare for cybersecurity incidents, approving cybersecurity processes, and reviewing security assessments and other security-related reports.

Our cybersecurity incident response policy and plan are designed to escalate certain cybersecurity incidents to a Security Incident Response Team ("SIRT"), comprised of the CIO, CISO, GC, CCO and Senior Director of Engineering. The SIRT works with NetScout’s incident response team to help NetScout mitigate and remediate cybersecurity incidents of which they are notified. In addition, NetScout's incident response plan includes reporting to the CEO and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors for certain cybersecurity incidents. NetScout's Cybersecurity Disclosure Committee, which includes the SIRT and the CFO, assess the materiality of cybersecurity incidents for potential disclosure requirements according to an escalation process defined in NetScout's Cybersecurity Protocol for Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

The Board of Directors receives quarterly reports from the CISO and CIO concerning NetScout's significant cybersecurity threats and risk and the processes NetScout has implemented to address them. The Board of Directors also receives various reports, summaries and presentations related to cybersecurity strategy, threats, risk and mitigation.

To date, we have not experienced any material cybersecurity incidents and the expenses we have incurred from cybersecurity incidents were immaterial. For a description of the risks from cybersecurity threats that may materially affect NetScout and how they may do so, see our risk factors under Part 1. Item 1A. Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our headquarters are located in Westford, MA, in approximately 175,000 square feet of space under a lease expiring in September 2030. In addition, we lease office and/or manufacturing space in other locations globally with some of the more significant locations from a cost or size perspective being in Allen, Texas; San Jose, California; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Bangalore, India; Pune, India; and Shanghai, China.

From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the amount of ultimate expense with respect to any current legal proceedings and claims, if determined adversely, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

For additional information regarding our legal proceedings, if any, refer to Note 19, Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report.

None.

Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, under the symbol NTCT.

At May 9, 2024, we had 74 stockholders of record. We believe that the number of beneficial holders of our common stock exceeds 21,000.

This performance graph shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of NetScout under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The Stock Performance Graph set forth below compares the yearly change in the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock during the five-year period from March 31, 2019 through March 31, 2024 with the cumulative total return of the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Nasdaq U.S. Benchmark Computer Services TR Index. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on March 31, 2019 in our common stock or in the Nasdaq Composite Index, or the Nasdaq U.S. Benchmark Computer Services TR Index, as applicable, and assumes reinvestment of dividends, if any.

The stock price performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance. Information used in the graph was obtained from Zacks Investment Research, Inc.

None.

We are an industry leader with nearly four decades of experience in providing service assurance and cybersecurity solutions that are based on our pioneering deep packet inspection technology at scale, which is used by many Fortune 500 companies to protect their digital business services against disruption. Service providers and enterprises, including local, state and federal government agencies, rely on our solutions to achieve the visibility and protection necessary to optimize network performance, ensure the delivery of high-quality, mission-critical applications and services, gain timely insight into the end user experience and to protect their networks from attack. With our offerings, customers can quickly, efficiently and effectively identify and resolve issues that result in downtime, interruptions to services, poor service quality or compromised data, thereby reducing meantime-to-resolution of issues and driving compelling returns on their investments in their networks and broader technology initiatives. Some of the more significant technology trends and catalysts for our business include the evolution of customers' digital transformation initiatives such as the migration to cloud environments, the rapidly evolving cybersecurity threat landscape, artificial intelligence and business analytics advancements, and the 5G technology evolution in both the service provider and enterprise customer verticals.

Our operating results are influenced by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the mix and quantity of products and services sold, pricing, costs and availability of materials used in our products, growth in employee-related costs, including commissions, and the expansion of our operations. Factors that affect our ability to maximize our operating results include, but are not limited to, our ability to introduce and enhance existing products, the marketplace acceptance of those new or enhanced products, continued expansion into international markets, expansion into new or adjacent markets, development of strategic partnerships, competition, successful acquisition and integration efforts, and our ability to control costs and make improvements in a highly competitive industry.

We continue to closely monitor current global and macroeconomic conditions, including the impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine and hostilities in the Middle East, global geopolitical tension, stock market volatility, industry-specific capital spending trends, exchange rate fluctuations, inflation, interest rates, and the risk of a recession, including the manner and extent to which they have impacted and could continue to impact our business, customers, employees, supply chain, and distribution network. The full extent of the impacts of these global and macroeconomic conditions remain uncertain. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, we observed that our cybersecurity revenue grew, likely due to heightened geopolitical tensions and the evolving cyber threat landscape, while our service assurance revenue declined, primarily related to the domestic service provider industry which is challenged by a constrained spending environment. In this environment, we continued to focus on advancing our products, expanding revenue, enhancing earnings per share, and generating free cash flow. In response to the war in Ukraine, we ceased business operations in Russia, including sales, support on existing contracts and professional services. The macroeconomic environment remains challenging with constrained customer spending and we expect this to persist into the remainder of fiscal year 2025. Although we expect our cybersecurity momentum to continue, this is likely to be offset with continued pressure on the service assurance offerings, primarily impacting our service provider customers. The enterprise vertical of service assurance is anticipated to stabilize. As a result, we have continued our efforts to manage discretionary costs and align spending with the current environment while we continue to execute on our long-term strategic plans.

Though we continue to monitor the impacts of evolving global and macroeconomic conditions on our business, we believe our current cash reserves and access to capital through our revolving credit facility leave us well-positioned to manage our business in today's environment. We expect net cash provided by operations combined with cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and investments and borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility to provide sufficient liquidity to fund current obligations, capital spending, debt service requirements and working capital requirements over at least the next twelve months. We continue to take actions to manage costs and increase productivity throughout our company, including managing discretionary spending and hiring activities, but are continuing to invest in areas that advance our business for the future. In addition to our cash equivalents, based on covenant levels at March 31, 2024, we had an incremental $700 million available to us under our revolving credit facility.

Our gross profit percentage increased by one percentage point to 77% during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 as compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 primarily due to product mix with less revenue during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 from radio frequency propagation modeling projects, which have lower margins, as well as lower incentive compensation expense.

Net loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 was $147.7 million, as compared with net income for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 of $59.6 million, a decrease in net income (loss) of $207.3 million. The decrease in net income (loss) was primarily due to a $217.3 million goodwill impairment charge, an $85.1 million decrease in revenue, a $1.4 million increase in contractor fees, a $1.3 million increase in travel expense, and a $1.0 million increase in accounting related expenses. These decreases in net income (loss) were partially offset by a $23.7 million decrease in costs to deliver radio frequency propagation modeling projects, a $17.1 million decrease in employee-related expenses associated with a decrease in variable incentive compensation, a $7.9 million decrease in amortization expense, a $7.2 million increase in the fair value of an equity investment, a $6.0 million decrease in legal fees mainly due to a favorable decision related to the Packet Intelligence LLC appeal, a $5.5 million decrease in expenses related to trade shows, user conferences and other events, a $5.5 million decrease in income tax expense, a $4.7 million increase in interest income, a $3.8 million gain on the divestiture of the Test Optimization business, a $3.4 million decrease in advertising expense, a $2.8 million decrease from depreciation expense, a $1.8 million decrease in restructuring expense, a $1.7 million decrease in recruiting expenses, a $1.6 million decrease in commissions expense, a $1.6 million decrease in interest expense, a $1.3 million decrease in direct material costs, and a $1.1 million decrease in business taxes.

At March 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities and investments (current and non-current) of $424.1 million. This represents a decrease of $3.8 million compared to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to $50.0 million used to repurchase shares of our common stock, $19.4 million used for tax withholdings on restricted stock units, and $6.3 million used for capital expenditures. These decreases were partially offset by $58.8 million of net cash provided by operating activities, and $7.8 million in proceeds from the divestiture of the Test Optimization business during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024.

We supplement the United States generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) financial measures we report in quarterly and annual earnings announcements, investor presentations and other investor communications by reporting the following non-GAAP measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP income from operations, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share (diluted) and non-GAAP earnings before interest and other expense, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) from operations. Non-GAAP gross profit removes expenses related to the amortization of acquired intangible assets, share-based compensation expense, and acquisition-related depreciation expense. Non-GAAP income from operations removes the aforementioned adjustments and also removes business development and integration expense, compensation for post-combination services, legal (benefit) expense related to civil judgments, goodwill impairment charges, gain on the divestiture of a business, restructuring charges, and transitional service agreement expenses. Non-GAAP net income removes the foregoing adjustments related to non-GAAP income from operations, and also removes loss on extinguishment of debt, change in fair value of contingent consideration, and change in the fair value of derivative instrument, net of related income tax effects. Non-GAAP EBITDA from operations removes the aforementioned items related to non-GAAP income from operations and also removes non-acquisition related depreciation expense.

These non-GAAP measures are not in accordance with GAAP, should not be considered an alternative for measures prepared in accordance with GAAP (revenue, gross profit, operating margin, net income and diluted net income per share), and may have limitations because they do not reflect all our results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures should only be used to evaluate our results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures. The presentation of non-GAAP information is not meant to be considered superior to, in isolation from, or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures will enhance the reader's overall understanding of our current financial performance and our prospects for the future by providing a higher degree of transparency for certain financial

We consider accounting policies and estimates related to revenue recognition, and valuation of goodwill, intangible assets and other acquisition and divestiture accounting items to be critical in fully understanding and evaluating our financial results. We apply significant judgment and create estimates when applying these policies.

We exercise judgment and use estimates in connection with determining the amounts of product and service revenues to be recognized in each accounting period.

We derive revenues primarily from the sale of network management tools and cybersecurity solutions for service provider and enterprise customers, which include hardware, software, and service offerings. Our product sales consist of software only offerings and offerings which include hardware appliances with embedded software that are essential to providing customers the intended functionality of the solutions.

We account for revenue once a legally enforceable contract with a customer has been approved by the parties and the related promises to transfer products or services have been identified. A contract is defined by us as an arrangement with commercial substance identifying payment terms, each party's rights and obligations regarding the products or services to be transferred and the amount we deem probable of collection. Customer contracts may include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether the products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately or as one combined performance obligation may require significant judgment. Revenue is recognized when control of the products or services are transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for products and services.

Product revenue is typically recognized upon fulfillment, provided a legally enforceable contract exists, control has passed to the customer, and in the case of software products, when the customer has the rights and ability to access the software, and collection of the related receivable is probable. If any significant obligations to the customer remain post-delivery, typically involving obligations relating to installation and acceptance by the customer, revenue recognition is deferred until such obligations have been fulfilled. Our service offerings include installation, integration, extended warranty and maintenance services, post-contract customer support, stand-ready software-as-a-service (SAAS) and other professional services including consulting and training. We generally provide software and/or hardware support as part of product sales. Revenue related to the initial bundled software and hardware support is recognized ratably over the support period. In addition, customers can elect to purchase extended support agreements for periods after the initial software/hardware warranty expiration. Support services generally include rights to unspecified upgrades (when and if available), telephone and internet-based support, updates, bug fixes and hardware repair and replacement. Consulting services are recognized upon delivery or completion of performance depending on the terms of the underlying contract. Reimbursements of out-of-pocket expenditures incurred in connection with providing consulting services are included in services revenue, with the offsetting expense recorded in cost of service revenue. Training services include on-site and classroom training. Training revenues are recognized upon delivery of the training.

Generally, our contracts are accounted for individually. However, when contracts are closely interrelated and dependent on each other, it may be necessary to account for two or more contracts as one to reflect the substance of the group of contracts.

Bundled arrangements are concurrent customer purchases of a combination of our product and service offerings that may be delivered at various points in time. We allocate the transaction price among the performance obligations in an amount that

We amortize acquired definite-lived intangible assets over their estimated useful lives. Goodwill is not amortized but subject to annual impairment tests; more frequently if events or circumstances occur (a "triggering event") that would indicate the fair value of our reporting unit is below its carrying value. We perform the assessment annually during the fourth quarter and on an interim basis if potential impairment indicators arise.

Reporting units are determined based on the components of a company's operating segments that constitute a business for which financial information is available and for which operating results are regularly reviewed by segment management. We have one reporting unit.

To test impairment, we first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the intangible asset is impaired. If based on our qualitative assessment it is more likely than not that the fair value of the intangible asset is less than its carrying amount, quantitative impairment testing is required. However, if we conclude otherwise, quantitative impairment testing is not required.

The acquisition method of accounting requires an estimate of the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired as part of these transactions. In order to estimate the fair value of acquired intangible assets, we use either an income, market or cost method approach. The contingent purchase consideration represents amounts deposited into escrow accounts, which were established to cover damages we may have suffered related to any liabilities that we did not agree to assume or as a result of the breach of representations and warranties of the sellers as described in the acquisition agreements. We did not complete any acquisitions and completed one divestiture during the three years ended March 31, 2024.

The key assumption in the market approach utilized in fiscal year 2024 to determine the fair value of the reporting unit in our quantitative goodwill impairment assessment was the company-specific control premium, which was estimated using expected synergies that would be realized by a hypothetical buyer. We also compared the implied control premium to recent control premiums paid in the industry, as evidenced by guideline public company comparable transactions. This information corroborated that the company-specific control premium was within the range of premiums for other companies operating in the industry. Changes in the estimates or assumptions used in its quantitative impairment test could materially affect the determination of fair value and the associated goodwill impairment assessment. Potential events and circumstances that could have an adverse impact on our estimates and assumptions include, but are not limited to, continued increases in costs, and rising interest rates and other macroeconomic factors. An increase or decrease of 1% in the company-specific control premium used in the determination of the fair value of the reporting unit under the market approach at December 31, 2023 and January 31, 2024 would have resulted in an increase or decrease in the goodwill impairment recorded of approximately $15.6 million and $15.3 million, respectively.

We will continue to monitor relevant facts and circumstances, including future changes in our stock price. We may be required to record additional goodwill impairment charges. While management cannot predict if or when additional goodwill impairments may occur, future goodwill impairments could have material adverse effects on our results of operations and financial condition.

The 157%, or $14.6 million, change in interest and other income (expense), net was primarily due to a $7.2 million increase in the fair value of the equity investment in Napatech A/S (Napatech), a $4.7 million increase in interest income, and a $1.6 million decrease in interest expense due to debt repayments on the credit facility in March 2023, partially offset by an increase in the average interest rate on the credit facility during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 when compared to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. In addition, there was a $0.9 million decrease in foreign exchange expense, and a $0.5 million increase in other income.

In 2021, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development announced an Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting including Pillar Two Model Rules defining the global minimum tax, which calls for the taxation of large multinational corporations at a minimum rate of 15%. Subsequently multiple sets of administrative guidance have been issued. Many non-US tax jurisdictions have either recently enacted legislation to adopt certain components of the Pillar Two Model Rules beginning in 2024 with the adoption of additional components in later years or announced their plans to enact legislation in future years. Considering we do not have material operations in jurisdictions with tax rates lower than the Pillar Two minimum, these rules are not expected to materially increase our global tax costs. There remains uncertainty as to the final Pillar Two model rules. We are continuing to evaluate the impacts of enacted legislation and pending legislation to enact Pillar Two Model Rules in the non-US tax jurisdictions we operate in.

As previously disclosed, in March 2016, Packet Intelligence LLC (Packet Intelligence or Plaintiff) filed a Complaint against NetScout and two subsidiary entities in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas asserting infringement of five United States patents. Plaintiff's Complaint alleged that legacy Tektronix GeoProbe products, including the G10 and GeoBlade products, infringed these patents. NetScout filed an Answer denying Plaintiff's allegations and asserting that Plaintiff's patents were, among other things, invalid, not infringed, and unenforceable due to inequitable conduct. In October 2017, a jury rendered a verdict finding in favor of the Plaintiff and that Plaintiff was entitled to $3.5 million for pre-suit damages and $2.3 million for post-suit damages. In September 2018, the Court entered judgment and "enhanced" the jury verdict in the amount of $2.8 million as a result of a jury finding. The judgment also awarded pre- and post-judgment interest, and a running royalty on the G10 and GeoBlade products until the expiration of the patents at issue, the last date being June 2022. Following the entry of final judgment, NetScout appealed, and in July 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) issued a decision vacating the $3.5 million pre-suit damages award, affirming the $2.3 million post-suit damages award, vacating the $2.8 million enhancement award, and remanding to the district court to determine what, if any, enhancement should be awarded. In March 2021, NetScout filed a petition for a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, which was denied, challenging, among other issues, the basis for enhanced damages and the patentability of the claimed technology. On September 8 and 9, 2021, in proceedings initiated by third parties that did not involve NetScout, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) invalidated all the patent claims that were also asserted against NetScout in this case. After the PTAB decisions were issued, NetScout moved, among other things, to dismiss the case and enter judgment in its favor on the grounds that the PTAB decisions invalidating the asserted claims precluded Plaintiff from continuing to assert its patent infringement causes of action and from seeking damages from NetScout. The District Court denied NetScout’s motion with respect to its request to dismiss the case and enter judgment in its favor. The District Court entered an amended final judgment awarding Plaintiff $2.3 million in post-suit damages, $1.1 million in enhanced damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, and a running royalty on the G10 and GeoBlade products until the expiration of the patents at issue, the last expiration date being June 2022. On July 20, 2022, NetScout filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Circuit from, among other things, the amended final judgment. On May 2, 2024, in a separate action the Federal Circuit affirmed the PTAB decisions, which as a result found that all of the patent claims asserted by Packet Intelligence against NetScout were invalid. Also on May 2, 2024, the Federal Circuit ruled in NetScout's favor in its appeal, vacating the District Court's final judgment and remanding the case to the District Court to dismiss the case against NetScout as moot. In view of the current circumstances, NetScout has concluded that the risk of loss associated with damages that may result from this case is remote. As a result, we recorded a $4.6 million reduction in contingent liabilities and legal fees during the year ended March 31, 2024.

Contracts that we enter into in the ordinary course of business may contain standard indemnification provisions. Pursuant to these agreements, we may agree to defend third party claims brought against a partner or direct customer claiming infringement of such third party’s (i) U.S. patent and/or European Union (EU), or other selected countries' patents, (ii) Berne convention member country copyright, and/or (iii) U.S., EU, and/or other selected countries’ trademark or intellectual property rights. Moreover, this indemnity may require us to pay any damages awarded against the partner or direct customer in such type of lawsuit as well as reimburse the partner or direct customer for reasonable attorney's fees incurred by them from the lawsuit.

We may also agree from time to time to provide other forms of indemnification to partners or direct customers, such as indemnification that would obligate us to defend and pay any damages awarded to a third party against a partner or direct customer based on a lawsuit alleging that such third party has suffered personal injury or tangible property damage legally determined to have been caused by negligently designed or manufactured products.

We have agreed to indemnify our directors and officers and our subsidiaries' directors and officers if they are made a party or are threatened to be made a party to any proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of NetScout) by reason of the fact that the indemnified are agents of NetScout. The indemnity is for any and all expenses and liabilities of any type (including but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred by the directors or officers in connection with the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of such proceeding, provided they acted in good faith.

At March 31, 2024, cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and investments (current and non-current) totaled $424.1 million. This represents a decrease of $3.8 million from $427.9 million at March 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to $50.0 million used to repurchase shares of our common stock, $19.4 million used for tax withholdings on restricted stock units, and $6.3 million used for capital expenditures. These decreases were partially offset by $58.5 million of net cash provided by operating activities, and $7.8 million in proceeds from the divestiture of the Test Optimization business during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024.

Net cash inflows relating to the purchase and sales of marketable securities and investments decreased $14.0 million relating to the amount of investments held at each respective balance sheet date, from an inflow of $25.9 million during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 to an inflow of $12.0 million during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. The overall net decrease in cash inflow was due in part to the settlement of the forward purchase contract with Napatech in exchange for approximately 6.2 million shares of Napatech's common stock valued at $6.2 million in April 2023.

There was a $7.8 million increase in proceeds from the divestiture of the Test Optimization business during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024.

Our investments in property and equipment consist primarily of computer equipment, demonstration units, office equipment and facility improvements. We plan to continue to invest in capital expenditures to support our infrastructure in our fiscal year 2025.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, we repurchased a total of 1,209,153 shares for $33.6 million in the open market under our twenty-five million share repurchase program authorized in 2017 (2017 Share Repurchase Program), and 614,516 shares for $16.4 million in the open market under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we repurchased 4,549,329 shares of our common stock under an ASR program for $150.0 million. Purchases during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 were under the 2017 Share Repurchase Program.

In connection with the delivery of common shares upon vesting of restricted stock units, we have withheld 653,645 shares for $19.4 million, and 562,360 shares for $19.4 million related to minimum statutory tax withholding requirements on these restricted stock units during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. These withholding transactions do not fall under the repurchase program described above, and therefore do not reduce the amount that is available for repurchase under that program.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we repaid $250.0 million of borrowings under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

On July 27, 2021, we amended and extended our existing credit facility (as amended, the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) with a syndicate of lenders by and among: the Company; JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMorgan), as administrative agent and collateral agent; JPMorgan, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, BofA Securities Inc., RBC Capital Markets, PNC Capital Markets LLC and Mizuho Bank, Ltd., as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners; Santander Bank, N.A., U.S. Bank National Association, Fifth Third Bank National Association, Silicon Valley Bank and TD Bank, N.A., as co-documentation agents; and the lenders party thereto.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides for a five-year, $800.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility, including a letter of credit sub-facility of up to $75.0 million. We may elect to use the credit facility for general corporate purposes (including to finance the repurchase of shares of our common stock). The commitments under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement will expire on July 27, 2026, and any outstanding loans will be due on that date. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we repaid $250.0 million of borrowings under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. At March 31, 2024, $100 million was outstanding under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. On May 13, 2024, we repaid $25.0 million of borrowings under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

On February 22, 2023, we entered into a First Amendment Agreement (First Amendment) of our Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with a syndicate of lenders. We entered into the First Amendment in order to remove and replace the LIBOR-based interest rate benchmark provisions for U.S. dollar-denominated loans with interest rate benchmark provisions for U.S. dollar-denominated loans based on a term secured overnight financing rate (SOFR).

Our consolidated gross leverage ratio is the ratio of our consolidated total debt compared to our consolidated EBITDA as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (adjusted consolidated EBITDA). Adjusted consolidated EBITDA includes certain adjustments, including, without limitation, adjustments relating to extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring charges, certain restructuring charges, non-cash charges, certain transaction costs and expenses and certain pro forma adjustments in connection with material acquisitions and dispositions, all as set forth in detail in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

Commitment fees will accrue on the daily unused amount of the credit facility. For the period from the delivery of our financial statements for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, until we have delivered financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, the commitment fee will be 0.15% per annum, and thereafter the commitment fee will vary depending on our consolidated gross leverage ratio, ranging from 0.30% per annum if our consolidated gross leverage ratio is greater than 2.75 to 1.00, down to 0.15% per annum if our consolidated gross leverage ratio is equal to or less than 1.50 to 1.00.

Letter of credit participation fees are payable to each lender providing the letter of credit sub-facility on the amount of such lender's letter of credit exposure, during the period from the closing date of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement to, but excluding, the date which is the later of (i) the date on which such lender's commitment terminates or (ii) the date on which such lender ceases to have any letter of credit exposure, at a rate per annum equal to the applicable margin for term SOFR loans assuming such loans were outstanding during the period. Additionally, we will pay a fronting fee to each issuing bank in amounts to be agreed to between us and the applicable issuing bank.

Interest on Alternate Base Rate loans is payable at the end of each calendar quarter. Interest on term SOFR loans is payable at the end of each interest rate period or at the end of each three-month interval within an interest rate period if the period is longer than three months. We may also prepay loans under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement at any time, without penalty, subject to certain notice requirements.

The loans and other obligations under the credit facility are (a) guaranteed by each of our wholly-owned material domestic restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions, and (b) are secured by substantially all of the assets of us and the subsidiary guarantors, including a pledge of all the capital stock of material subsidiaries held directly by us and the subsidiary guarantors (which pledge, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, is limited to 65% of the voting stock), subject to certain customary exceptions and limitations. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement generally prohibits any other liens on the assets of NetScout and our restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions as described in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains certain covenants applicable to us and our restricted subsidiaries, including, without limitation, limitations on additional indebtedness, liens, various fundamental changes, dividends and distributions, investments (including acquisitions), transactions with affiliates, asset sales, including sale-leaseback transactions, speculative hedge agreements, payment of junior financing, changes in business and other limitations customary in senior secured credit facilities. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement requires us to maintain a certain consolidated net leverage ratio and removes the previous requirement under our previous amended credit agreement that we maintain a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio. Our consolidated net leverage ratio is the ratio of our Consolidated Total Debt minus the lesser of unrestricted cash and 125% of adjusted consolidated EBITDA compared to our adjusted consolidated EBITDA. Our maximum consolidated net leverage ratio is 4.00 to 1.00. These covenants and limitations are more fully described in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. At March 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all covenants, including the specified total consolidated net leverage ratio range of 4.00 to 1.00.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides that events of default will exist in certain circumstances, including failure to make payment of principal or interest on the loans when required, failure to perform certain obligations under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and related documents including a failure to meet the maximum total consolidated net leverage ratio covenant, defaults under certain other indebtedness, certain insolvency events, certain events arising under ERISA, a change of control and certain other events. Upon an event of default, the administrative agent with the consent of, or at the request of, the holders of more than 50% in principal amount of the loans and commitments, may terminate the commitments and accelerate the maturity of the loans and enforce certain other remedies under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and the other loan documents.

At March 31, 2024, the total accrual of our retirement obligation for our chairman and CEO was $1.1 million. The payment stream for this retirement obligation is based upon the retirement date which is currently not determinable.

At March 31, 2024, the total amount of net unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions and the accrual for the related interest was $1.2 million. We are unable to make a reliable estimate when cash settlement, if any, will occur with a tax authority as the timing of examinations and ultimate resolution of those examinations is uncertain.

We expect net cash provided by operating activities combined with cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and investments and borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility will provide sufficient liquidity to fund current obligations, capital spending, debt service requirements and working capital requirement over at least the next twelve months.

For information with respect to recent accounting pronouncements on our consolidated financial statements, See Note 2 contained in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are exposed to market risks related to fluctuations in interest rates related to our credit facility. At March 31, 2024, we owed $100 million on this loan with an interest rate of 6.43%. A sensitivity analysis was performed on the outstanding portion of our debt obligation as of March 31, 2024. Should the current weighted average interest rate increase or decrease by 10%, the resulting annual increase or decrease to interest expense would be approximately $643 thousand as of March 31, 2024.

Our Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm appear beginning on page F-1 attached to this report.

There have been no changes in or disagreements with accountants on accounting or financial disclosure matters.

As of March 31, 2024, NetScout, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2024 our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that material information relating to NetScout, including its consolidated subsidiaries, required to be disclosed by NetScout in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, including ensuring that such material information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting was designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2024. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework in 2013. Based on our assessment, we concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of March 31, 2024.

Not applicable.

The information required by this Item 10 will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement with respect to our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC no later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

We have adopted a written code of business conduct that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The code of business conduct and ethics is available on our corporate website at ir.netscout.com under the section entitled "Governance Overview & Related Materials" in the "Corporate Governance" menu. If we make any substantive amendments to our code of business conduct or grant any of our directors or executive officers any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of our code of business conduct and ethics, we will disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver on our website or in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information required by this Item 11 will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement with respect to our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item 12 will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement with respect to our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item 13 will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement with respect to our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item 14 will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement with respect to our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference.